Here in Northern California, we have been enjoying an unusually dry and warm Spring. While the threat of impending drought is very real, it has not stopped us from enjoying the breezy afternoons. We enjoy opening up our sliding glass doors to enjoy the deck shaded by our Oaks and Pines.
Last weekend, on a breezy afternoon, a Hummingbird flew into our living room. It flew through one of the open sliding glass doors, hovered by the motionless ceiling fan and immediately tried to fly back out through the triangular window above the slider which doesn’t open.
I watched the scared little bird check the entire window, trying to figure out what kind of wizardry was keeping him from freedom. Hoping he would look elsewhere for a way out, I completely opened the sliding glass door just 2 feet beneath him.
Seeing that he wanted to stay high, I got my ladder and crept up with a small towel to try and capture him. He took evasive maneuvers, flying to the next window over. Again, I opened the sliding glass door beneath and climbed my ladder. This time, the little bird was so exhausted that he sat on the sill with no choice but to let me scoop him up. He definitely struggled and chirped his discontent, but when I had him outside and released my grip, he flew away happily.
I thought about the challenges that face the organizations I work with. Many times have they found a solution, only to be turned away by a major barrier. They adjust, trying to move toward that same solution, but to no avail. They become stuck.
We owe it to ourselves and our organizations to keep our eyes open to new ways of solving problems.
Incidentally, just outside the 2nd sliding glass door was a hummingbird feeder. Not only could the little bird have escaped with this option, he also would have found a welcome treat.
• How often do you force yourself into the same window or path that we have struggled with before, blind to the freedom that is so near?
• What are the resources available to you that may allow you to see alternatives to your normal solutions?
• What daily practices can you create that encourage more creative thinking when challenges arise?
Have a great week!
Chuck Ross
John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer, Speaker, and DISC consultant
chuckross.net
Author: Change? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?
530-277-6161
“They themselves are makers of themselves.” James Allen
